Compositions and methods for wound closure are known in the art. Depending on the severity of the wound, the most common treatments range from simple adhesive-based, over the counter products, such as BAND-AIDs®, butterfly strips, and Steri-Strips, to more specialized products, such as sutures and staples. Proper application of sutures and staples requires a trained specialist; and although these techniques can be quite effective at closing wounds, they are invasive, and painful procedures that frequently require the use of an anesthetic. Furthermore, these procedures can leave unsightly scars, both from the secondary insertion holes as well as spacing and depth variations that result in varying tensions applied to the laceration or surgical incision between the suturing points and intervening spaces. Moreover, these skin closure techniques necessitate follow-up visits to a hospital or doctor's office for removal of sutures and staples; a particularly sub-optimal feature in the event of an infection, wherein it is often necessary to remove the sutures such that the wound may be reopened and cleaned. Additionally, simply covering the wound with a bandage, such as a BAND-AID® is often not sufficient to close more severe or deeper wounds; the adhesives used to attach these devices and the Steri-Strips and butterfly strips are not adequate to close these wounds without detaching or creep. Skin moisture adds to the problem by further reducing adherence of the adhesive based bandage, and may lead to their premature release from the skin and wound site before closure of the wound and proper healing. Also, the adhesive can induce symptomatic allergic and inflammatory reactions.
The present invention relates to improved wound closure devices that in some embodiments enable simple, minimally invasive wound closure, without the need for follow-up care. The devices are easily applied and removed, often with little to no pain, thus obviating reliance on trained specialists for their application and removal. In some embodiments, the devices of the present invention can achieve wound closure without resulting in the aforementioned closure-induced scarring that can occur with the prior art techniques. Furthermore, in certain embodiments the wound closure devices disclosed herein may be appropriately secured to a wound without the need for adhesive, thus avoiding potential allergic complications.